I think this depends on the sort of reading material you are used to. For a book on theology (which ILH2 is) it is clear, coherent, objective and well laid out. It's also a reference work rather than something to read from cover to cover. I doubt there is anyone in the Lunar Empire who knows all of its contents. Players don't need to know more than some general background and the details of the cult they are joining. All the stuff about Sevening, Illumination and Occulsion should be introduced when a player wants to go for it.
>Simon Phipp wrote:
> >How many words for Initiate or Priest do we really need? Sure,
> >many of the terms are subtly different or don't represent exactly
> >the same idea, but too many terms is just downright confusing.
>
>But here I disagree (to an extent). I dont want too many generic terms
>for priests but my groups had great fun with the various terms for rune
>levels in RQ2 - Wind Lord, Death Lord etc. Very easy to have lots of
>individual terms that people are likely to use in the streets of Pavis
>rather than the eoteria that the Grey Sages would revel in over a cup of
>warm milk....
There are three catagories which are involved here. Firstly there are cult names for positions which are broadly comparable across cults. These are interesting and not too confusing if introduced as cult specific information. Secondly there are similar positions which aren't really comparable - the Lunar preceptor is sufficently different from the Malkoni litergist to justify a separate name. Finally there are multiple names for the same thing in a society - the godi, gydar, god-talker argument is one example. I can't really see a justification for this and the fact that one is a feminine version of another using an unfamiliar means of conversion. All very interesting to language experts but just confusing to everyone else.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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